I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to customer initiated order processing systems for fast food restaurants and other similar retail stores. More specifically, this invention relates to systems utilizing punched opaque cards containing the input data, electronic scanning of optical detectors for assimilating the data, digital electronics for processing the data, and visual displays for communicating order commands to remotely located employees as to the number and types of products which have been ordered.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Fast food franchising is one of the fastest growing industries in the country at the present time, and it has been predicted that within ten years approximately 30-40 percent of the average family's food budget will be spent at fast food or convenience food facilities. At the present time the methods for servicing customers at fast food restaurants generally start with the waitress verbally receiving the order item by item from the customer, and then travelling to all of the food preparation areas in order to obtain the ordered items. In the alternative, the waitress may verbally repeat the order, item by item, to other employees at the food preparation areas. In still another system the waitress completes a machine readable order card which is used to total the charges for the order, but the waitress then must personally travel to all of the food preparation areas in order to collect the ordered items. While these various methods are cost effective for low volume fast food operations, it will become readily apparent that these techniques are not cost effective when volumes are drastically expanded.
The data control device disclosed by Crain et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,639,732 represents a recent attempt to automate or computerize the customer ordering process. The Crain data control card includes a plurality of rows and columns which form a data matrix. Data is entered into the matrix by marking on the card with a dark colored pencil in the space corresponding to the type of item and the quantity of the item to be ordered. A plurality of timing marks are provided along one longitudinal margin of the card for providing registration information to the reader which physically scans the card. While this type of card and card reader are functionally effective, the use of a dynamic card reader requires complex mechanics which can foul and jam during normal use. Therefore, from a reliability and from a building cost standpoint it is highly desirable to design a card reader which reads the card is a static mode, since both mechanical and electrical sybsystems of the card reader are simplified thereby. Also, the Crain system does not eliminate the slow process of verbally receiving the order item by item from the customer and does not display the order at the food preparation areas.
Other inventors have utilized the concept of enabling the consumer to punch an aperture into a matrix on a data card to signify a particular item or event desired. For example, Cidade in U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,102 discloses a method and aparatus for punching data cards for use in a public lottery. Mathews in U.S. Pat. No. 3,294,424 uses the card punching technique for casting ballots and the like. Other inventions utilizing the concept of punched apertures in data control cards are disclosed by Shaw in U.S. Pat. No. 3,985,264, Lieberthal in U.S. Pat. No. 3,684,863, Timares et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,365,714, Street in U.S. Pat. No. 3,350,545, and Knutsen in U.S. Pat. No. 2,735,617. While these references are deemed relevant, experience has demonstrated that the systems disclosed by these inventors are not suitable for use by a large number of customers, each desiring to place an order for fast food service.
The problems inherent in the design of stationary card readers are well known in the art. Kawabata et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,900,716 disclose an optical static card reader comprising a light sensing matrix for detecting the passage of light through apertures within punched cards. As with other inventors, Kawabata finds it necessary to utilize sophisticated electronic circuitry to compensate for various fluctuating factors such as lighting voltage, deterioration of the light source, variations in the sensitivity of the optical sensors, ambient temperature, and improperly punched apertures. In order to solve these problems, Kawabata discloses the use of a light sensor which is continuously illuminated regardless of the data contained in the data matrix, and then adjusts the light received by the data photo-detectors to compensate for any reduction in illumination intensity perceived by the reference sensor. While this system is effective, it nevertheless requires additional circuitry which increases the cost and complexity of the overall system design.
Bowen et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,655,945 disclosed the use of photofet devices for reading pencil data marks on a paper card and punching data apertures in the same card to make it compatible with other punched paper card readers. Like other inventors, Bowen utilizes an automatic correction or compensation circuit to correct for circuit drift in the photofet and other circuit elements. Other card readers are disclosed by Azure in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,284,929, Affel et al. in 3,505,646 and Greenaway et al. in 3,643,216.
From this review of the prior art it may be observed that the following disadvantages are characteristic of the inventions previously discussed. First, the customer does not finalize the order until arriving at, and sometimes deliberating at, the order input station, thus wasting valuable time. Second, the order must be verbally transferred item by item, to the waitress at the order input station. Third, the waitress must either personally retrieve the ordered items or repeat the order item by item to attendants at the food preparation areas.